The History Book Club discussion

I think Mfarrar has become Marlowe.

Hello, Marlowe! I join everyone in welcoming you. Hope you enjoy the group.

Hello All,

My name is Danielle, I live in Sacramento and I'm currently a college student studying accounting, but I had a brief stint studying history. I found that history classes took the fun out of it, so now reading history is for fun. I enjoy reading about the Renaissance, English history (especially royal history) and for a while I was obsessed with American Revolutionary history and Abraham Lincoln. I hope to join in some great discussions soon!

Danielle wrote: "Hello All,

My name is Danielle, I live in Sacramento and I'm currently a college student studying accounting, but I had a brief stint studying history. I found that history classes took the fun ..."

Well, you have come to the right place. Welcome to the group, Danielle.

Happy Holidays,
Joe

Danielle wrote: "Hello All,

My name is Danielle, I live in Sacramento and I'm currently a college student studying accounting, but I had a brief stint studying history. I found that history classes took the fun ..."

Hi Danielle, I second Joe's welcome, hope you have a lot of fun here discussing great books and interesting people from history. I like those areas of your interest so maybe we can chat over a few good books later on.

Rick

Danielle wrote: "Hello All,

My name is Danielle, I live in Sacramento and I'm currently a college student studying accounting, but I had a brief stint studying history. I found that history classes took the fun ..."

Nice to have you, Danielle. It is nice that you enjoy reading history, even if history classes didn't work for you. Part of the fun with reading is you get to choose what you learn, and you can spend more or less time on it depending on how life is hitting you! Hope you find good stuff here.

Thanks for joining, Jeff. We are glad to have you. We are looking forward to reading you posts.

Hope your holiday season has treated you well, and Happy New Year to you.

Joe

Jeff, we are glad to have you as part of the group. Is that a recent photo (smile).

We look forward to your joining the discussions.

Welcome, Jeff. We'll enjoy your perspective in any and all discussions. Certainly gives you a heads up to have read the upcoming books. Have a great New Year!

Welcome to Jeff and Danielle. Danielle, I was a literature major all through college and grad school and it was actually a relief to be done with classes and be able to choose my own reading material again, so I know how you feel!
Jeff, hope to hear from you in discussions soon.

Hi, I'm Lori. I'm a senior in college this year, getting degrees in history and English. I finished my history thesis this past semester. I plan on going to grad school for a masters in public history, with a museum studies emphasis. I love reading historical books, so I think this group will really work out well. As a personal goal, I plan on studying America's 4 big wars this year through various history books and biographies that I've found.

Welcome to the new members - and a Happy New Year to everybody!
I don't recall who wrote the post, but some while back there was one saying his or her history lessons in school turned her off - at least that was what I think I read.
Anyway, I just wanted to share a funny moment from back in the days - mid seventies in Holland. We had a teacher who had a very lively way of bringing history closer to the pupils. He was an older fellow but that didn't stop him from galloping through the classroom demonstrating Roman cavalry attack techniques (being just one guy he had some problems with the Hellenic Phalanx) I'll probably never forget Roman cavalry tactics...
It was a great way of bringing history to life. We of course still had to imagine the right weaponry and a slightly different age group of the people fighting...

Welcome to the group, Lori. Thanks for joining us.
May I ask what your history thesis was about?

And I hope everyone is enjoying a joyous New Years weekend.

Joe

Andre..what a humorous story...at least your teacher made history come alive for all of you.

Lori..welcome to the History Book Club. This is really a good group so you will get out of it as much as you put into it.

We look forward to reading your posts in the near future. FYI: We are starting:

John Keegan

in February...hope you will join us.

Bentley

Buon giorno!

My name is Christina and I live in Northern San Diego in a wonderful, lively village set right on the coast which virtually nurtures readers with its offers of multiple libraries and bookstores. I'm quite lucky! In addition, I'm a 27 year-old Penn State graduate working for the United States Marine Corps in a suppport capacity which is a huge honor.

To the point, I enjoy reading forensic psychology, history, philosophy, notable figures, poetry and mythology as well as magazines such as Scientific American Mind. I'm a love of words and make a point of remaining a member of the post-graduate culture with the eventual goal of attending law school.

I look forward to participating in this group and hope to give as much as I get out of this community. I'll end with my favorite quote by Marilyn Monroe:

"I don't mind living in a man's world so long as I can be a woman in it."

Ciao!

Christina

Hello Christina,

Thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself. It really helps the membership know who you are when you post.

Now as I am "more than invigorated" with the 21 degree weather we are having today; I could certainly use some beautiful San Diego sunshine...that sounds like a perfect spot.

It sounds like you have a terrific career.

A love of history and a love of the law many times go together.

Lovely quote Christina and we are very happy to have you with us.

Bentley

Hi Jack, Lori & Christina, looking forward to discussing some good books and pivotal moments in history with you all.

Regards

Rick

Welcome, Christina.
I also am snowed-in, experiencing very cold tempatures right now. San Diego must be nice this time of year.

We all are looking forward to reading your posts. Thanks for joining us.

Joe

Hi, I just joined this group. I love reading, especially history and historical fiction. I have found as an adult that I have been able to fill many gaps in my education through this type of reading. I went through quite a renaissance intellectually with it as an enjoyable hobby over the years.
I am a mom of two lively daughters, an RN specializing in NICU care, though I haven't worked for several years while my girls are growing. I live in Asheville, NC - home of Thomas Wolfe. His mother's boarding house still stands here. F. Scott Fitzgerald also lived and wrote (dallied as well!) while his wife was hospitalized here, and she died in a fire many years later in that same sanitarium. O. Henry married an Asheville woman and lived here for some time and is buried here. Carl Sandburg lived close by in Flat Rock, NC home to a very renowned theater group, Flatrock Playhouse.
I love living here, one of the most beautiful places on God's earth!
I usually read several books at a time, with many waiting "on the runway," and look forward to learning more about this genre by being a part of this group.

Joe wrote: "Welcome to the group, Lori. Thanks for joining us.
May I ask what your history thesis was about?

My history thesis was over the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. It's more of a public history than an academic history. I'm really grateful that my professor allowed me the flexibility to write about something that interests me so much. The whole experience was so great that I decided to pursue a masters, rather than go to law school.

Hello. My name is Myles and I'm 30 years old and live in Albuquerque, NM. I have loved history since middle school and love reading about almost any historical topic. I have mostly read about American and modern Russian history but I have recently tried to expand into more unfamiliar areas.

Last year I read quite a few history books and they really had me thinking but I had no one to talk to about them. I thought this group was a nice option. I am looking forward to beginning with The Killer Angels.

Welcome to the group Sheila and Myles.
We all are looking forward to reading your posts and hearing different viewpoints new members have to offer.

Thanks for joining us.
Joe

Lori wrote: "Joe wrote: "Welcome to the group, Lori. Thanks for joining us.
May I ask what your history thesis was about?

My history thesis was over the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. It's more of a public history ..."

What an interesting topic! I live at the midpoint between NY and Boston, so I am in prime territory for the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry.

We look forward to you future comments.
Joe

Welcome Myles...I know you will love Killer Angels:

Michael Shaara

NM is a great place to live (and warm too). There are quite a few threads that you will most likely enjoy exploring and we of course look forward to reading your posts.

Sheila..a special welcome to you. Asheville is another beautiful spot and so filled with history itself. If there is anything that we can do to help you navigate the site, please do not hesitate to ask me about it or any other member of the group. Glad to have you with us.

Bentley

André wrote: "Welcome to the new members - and a Happy New Year to everybody!
I don't recall who wrote the post, but some while back there was one saying his or her history lessons in school turned her off - at ..."

Andre,
Very nice story. I had a history teacher in high school who did very similar things. It still stands as the most fun class I have ever had.

I'm 34, and I live in the Washington DC area. I enjoy a lot of history and historical fiction. I'm glad to find a good history group, and look forward to all the book recommendations.

Glad to have you DM...I guess you were one step ahead.

You certainly will find a great group to interact with here. Today we began the historical fiction discussion...there is also the Kearns book which is our spotlighted read, the White book on Lincoln as well as the ongoing Federalist papers. Plus a whole lot more.

Welcome,

Bentley

Welcome, Lori. Glad to have you. What an interesting thesis topic. I'm sure it is much more readable than my Computer Science topic. :) I love baseball. Grew up a Twins fan, and converted to the Cubs shortly after my marriage. (My husband was a White Sox fan. The Cubs was a compromise.)

Sounds like you have a great personal goal for this year. Hope you have time to share your thoughts with us in between school and everything. :)

Hi Christina, welcome. Sounds like you have a variety of specific interests. Hope you find good stuff in our group. I like your quotation at the end--it is a good challenge.

Hi, Sheila. Glad to have you. I agree that reading is a good way to fill in gaps in knowledge and experience. What a terrible, ignorant world we would be without books! I also admire your obvious knowledge of the area where you live. What great history!

Thanks Elizabeth! I have found Asheville to be a very interesting place in so many ways, one being my interest in literature and history, something that this place is chock full of.

Welcome from just south of you, Sheila - I'm in Greenville, South Carolina.

Hello, Myles. This is a great place to talk about all those history books. Hope you join us for The Killer Angels.

Deleted Member, welcome. You have a very interesting name. :) This is the right place to come for all things history, with a little historical fiction on the side. Hope you enjoy.

Susanna wrote: "Welcome from just south of you, Sheila - I'm in Greenville, South Carolina." We can exchange books at the state line! ;)

Wow, Jbunniii. You've been reading a wide variety of stuff. For The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, check out the Syllabus thread. We will be reading the first volume together in a few months and Bentley has described which is the best edition to get. Unabridged, of course. While we won't be doing the whole thing this year, it might be fun to get started with the group.

And there is lots of other stuff to read and discuss with us in the meantime!

Hello Jbunnii,

When we recommend books, we ask all of our members to post the book's cover and the photo of the author if available; otherwise also include the author's link.

Your recommendations would look like the following:


David M. Kennedy



John Keegan

Robert A. Caro



It sounds like you have been really busy. I have included some information on upcoming group discussions you may be interested in:

Regarding Gibbon and The Decline and Fall, etc:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Regarding The First World War by Keegan and that upcoming discussion:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

We look forward to reading your posts.

Bentley

Wow, I'm really behind on greeting new members! So many of you are from nice warm places, too. Welcom to Christina, Lori, Sheila, Myles and Jbunniii and apologies if I've missed anyone. Jbunniii, I'm reading Our Mutual Friend with another group and there is a very funny part about an illiterate man who decides to improve himself by having a semi-literate man read all of The Decline and Fall to him. Very funny.
Charles Dickens

Another hi and welcome to Deleted Member, Sheila, Myles and Jbunniii. I hope you have a great time here at The History Book Club discussing some good books and pivotal moments in history.

Regards

'Aussie' Rick

Welcome to the group, Jbunniii.

It's great to have you aboard. I also tried reading Freedom from Fear some time ago and didn't finish. This groups does help in that regard. :-)

We are looking forward to reading your posts!
Joe

Hello Jbunniii, Deleted Member, Sheila, and Myles.

I will have to add those books to my very LONG to-read list. :-)

Niki

Hi Jbunniii

Welcome

Thanks for your comment on the Power Broker - Robert Caro spoke three times last year at the New York Historical Society on that book and I bought it and have been looking for time block to start it in and your comment is very encouraging but it is so long - and big to carry.

I too have Keegan's book with a similar past to yours so I too am looking forward to that read

Vince

Hello. :) My name is Amelia and I'm 32, from Illinois. I'm a history major right now, finishing my degree, and I do a lot of extracurricular reading of nonfiction history. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the discussions!

I am currently reading Mrs. Lincoln, A Life, my first book about Mary Todd Lincoln.

Welcome, Amelia. Sounds like you'll fit right in with us. Hope you find some good discussions to jump in on.

Looks like you've got a good book going. When you finish, let us know what you think.

Hello Amelia...thank you for the recommendation and for the intro.

I hope you get a lot out of the group. I have found that the more you post and read the selections of the group...the more that you will get out of the experience. So do not remain on the sidelines; but please join in on the conversation. You will be welcomed.

One other thing...thank you for adding the book cover..but please do not forget the author.

Catherine Clinton

You may also be interested in two other book discussions that seem to link to your reading:

One is going on in our Presidential Series section:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

And the other is going on in the Historical Fiction segment:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

I am sure you will enjoy all of the above.

Bentley

Welcome to the group, Amelia.

We are glad to have you.
Sometimes I wish I majored in History. Maybe someday...

Well, we are looking forward to reading what you have to say on the threads.

Thanks for joining us!
Joe

Hi Amelia!

When I finish A. Lincoln (if I ever do - grin), I was hoping to read on Mrs. Lincoln so I will look at that book. Welcome aboard!

Niki

Greetings to one and all. My name is Randi Mathieu. I am 36 years old and live in Port Huron, Michigan. I work part-time as an Assistant Branch Librarian for the St Clair County Library System and use the rest of my time to raise my 3 yr old son. My hobbies include Genealogy and Astronomy. I read alot of non-fiction historical books that are pertinent to my research. I currently have 3 books on order about the history of Wiregrass Georgia.

Randi wrote: "Greetings to one and all. My name is Randi Mathieu. I am 36 years old and live in Port Huron, Michigan. I work part-time as an Assistant Branch Librarian for the St Clair County Library System and ..."

Hello Randi. I also live here in Michigan and sympathize with you being up here in this frozen tundra. :-) It's cold out there tonight! I look forward to getting your perspective on the books. (I didn't even know there were any books written on Wiregrass Georgia - but obviously I am ignorant, thank you for helping to remedy that).

Niki

Hello Randi,

Welcome to the History Book Club. We are haopy to have you with us.

Benltey